Bracket for universal adjustment



Jan. 9, 1951 v L, BOLTUCH 2,537,927

BRACKET FOR UNIVERSAL ADJUSTMENT Filed Nov. lO, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR .Zebra ,aZZac/b,

if BY o ATTORNEY Jan. 9, 1951Y L. BOLTUCH 2,537,927

BRACKET FOR UNIVERSAL ADJUSTMENT Filed Nov. l0, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 NVE NTOR aan blz/zdc@ Patented Jan. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

13 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to a simple and rugged structure to provide universal movement between a pair of rods or tubes. In its specic embodiment the present invention is shown as embodied in supporting and carrying a lamp assembly. It will be understood, however, that many features of the present invention are of general application and may be employed wherever suitable and particularly where it is desirable to provide for relative vertical and rotary movement of a pair of assembled rods or tubes and also where in addition it may be desired to provide a readily adaptable standard for a variety of uses.

One object of the present invention is to provide a standard and a support mounted on the standard, and in which the support may slide vertically on the standard or rotate on the standard without any metal to metal contact between the relatively movable parts. l

Another object of the present invention is to provide in an organization of the type described support means providing for relative universal movement and adjustability between the two parts and in which the support means also serves as a gripping device for retaining the parts in the adjusted position. Another feature of the invention is to provide a support of the type above described which also permits when desired for the inversion of the supported device.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a flool` lamp standard with a bracket or support for a lamp, in which the lamp may be supported in the customary manner to direct its light downwardly or it may be inverted to direct its light upwardly, the bracket being so designed and constructed that it firmly retains the lamp in either of these extreme positions or in any intermediate position without the necessity of performing any operation except the mere shifting or moving of the lamp from one position to the next.

Other objects of the invention will be understood by referring to the `following specification and the accompanying drawings, it being under stood that variations thereof falling within the scope of appended claims will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a floor lamp emf ploying the bracket of the present invention for the universal movement of the lamp on the standard.

`Fig 2 is a full sized side view of the present bracket or joint.

` diameter of the standard l2.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the air felt packing ring in actual size.

Fig. Ei is a perspective of the lower end of the gooseneck.

Fig. 'l is an elevation of the double tube unit.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a desk lamp embodying part of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a view taken at right angles to Fig. 8 showing the pivot joint between the base and the standard.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing a modified form oi the supporting bracket.

As shown in Fig. 1, the invention is embodied in a oor lamp which has a base Il! and an upright standard Il. The upright standard may be tubular or solid as desired and comprises a portion l2 which is preferably a steel tube with a polished outer face. The tubular gooseneck i3 Supports a lamp assembly i4 as shown by means of any suitable or delirable well known devices. The present invention resides primarily in the structure generally indicated by the reference character l5 which serves to mount the goose neck I3 and its lamp lll upon the standard l2 and to provide for any desirable adjustment of the lamp on the standard.

The support l5 comprises a pair of tubes 2U and 2l which are joined into a single integral structure in any manner desired, such as by welding, soldering, or the tubes may constitute a single integral casting. Tube 2t, the vertical tube, houses within it a longer tube 23 which is held therein by a drive fit. The free ends of the tube 23 which project beyond the tube 26 are exteriorally threaded and the inner diameter of the tube 23 is substantially in excess of the outer A pair of openended caps 24 are each provided with a relatively large opening at one end with an interior thread thereat for engaging the threaded end portions of the tube 23 and a relatively small opening at the other end which is roughly of the same inner diameter as the inner diameter of tube 23' and is somewhat larger than the outer diameter of standard l2. The inner surface 25 of each of the caps 2li which is disposed between the small opening and the threaded portion is substantially conical. A ring of resilient hair felt is disposed within this conical portion of each end cap 24. This ring of packing material 2B is compressed and compact within the cap and around the 3 standard tube I2 and serves the double purpose of gripping the standard and holding the lamp in adjusted position and the purpose of preventing any metal to metal contact between the parts while the lamp is slid or moved along the standard l2 either vertically or rotatively.

In its original expanded condition the ring or annulus of telt, or hair felt, or other suitable resilient non-metallic packing material is in the form of a relatively thick-walled cylinder having an inner diameter which is considerably smaller than the diameter of the standard l2 and having a wall thickness which may be twice the thickness of the tube 23 or at least twice the largest distance between l2 and the inner face or cap When the felt cylinder is inserted into the cap, it is compacted as shown with the greatest compression near the small end of the cap, the compression ci the ring or annulus of felt material greatly diminishing to the end of the felt which is in contact with the end of the tube 23. Thus the packing material is captured within the small conical space and while it has a relatively high degree of compression at its larger end the compression greatly increases to the small end of the As a result of this arrangement of the parts, the feit prevents any metal to metal contact between the parts, permits relative movement of the lamp upon the standard, and grips the standard in any adjusted position of the lamp.

In some types of floor lamps the several degrees of movement and adjustment provided by the structure thus far described are adequate for all purposes. In the present invention, however, it is desirable to provide the lamp support with the degrees of movement provided by the structure thus far described and in addition thereto by a further degree of movement in which the gooseneclr may be moved from the normal position shown in Fig. l to an inverted position shown in dotted lines therein or to any intermediate position. For this purpose the lower end of the gooseneck is provided with an enlarged ringlile portion 21 which forms a shoulder which abuts the enlarged end 28 of the tube 2|. The portion 29 of the gocseneck which extends out of the enlarged shoulder 2l is provided with a threaded portion 3d at its free end and has a longitudinal slit si. The cuter diameter of the portion 29 is considerably smaller than the inner diameter of the tube 2l. A resilient split steel sleeve 32 having an inwardly turned portion 33 is mounted on the tubular portion 29 with the portion S3 of the sleeve disposed within the slit 3l. When the tube 2% with its steel sleeve 32 is driven home into the tube 2Q, the steel sleeve provides irictional engagement to hold the gooseneck in any adjusted position. The interiorly threaded open-ended cap 3G holds the parts in permanent assembly and at the same time provides for the entry of an electric cord into the gooseneck for connection `to the lamp.

Fig. shows a modification of the construction described in the preceding paragraph. In this modification the steel cylinder 32 which encircles the tube 2s is eliminated and in its place is embodied the longitudinally split cylinder 32 made of spring steel which is lodged inside the tube 2Q, and is provided with a longitudinal ridge S3 which enters the longitudinal slit 3i and engages the interior face ci the cuter tube 2 l. The ridge thus serves to hold the sleeve 32 locked in position wi nin the sleeve also serves to exert resilient pressure against the inner face of the tube 2 l. It is by this means that the gooseneck I3 is iirmly held in position within the tube 2|. The steel spring 32' with its ridge 33 is designed to replace the steel spring 32 shown in Fig. 3, the remainder of the assembly shown therein and in the other figures of the drawing remaining as shown and described.

The enlarged end of the tube 2! is provided with a semi-circular groove 35 and the shoulder 2'! has a pin 36 which enters this groove. In its normal position the pin 35 is in engagement with the shoulder formed by the upper end of the groove 35 and when the goosenecla is moved to its inverted position the pin 3G engages the lower shoulder of the groove. The groove 35 extends only through about 199 and serves to prevent a complete revolution of the gooseneck I3 within the tube 2l and forces the user to merely move the gooseneck only about a semi-circle, thereby eliminating possible damage to the electric cord which enters the gooseneck as shown.

In operation of the present organization or parts, the spaced compacted resilient felt sleeves 26 may be spoken of as constituting the slidable gripping elements which support the gooseneclr and lamp upon the standard and permit the universal adjustment of the lamp upon the Standard. The sleeves 25 perform this function by virtue of the fact that they are each captured within the limited conical space within the caps and that, while they each have an inner cylindrical surface for slidably gripping the standard, their outer surfaces are conical. lThe sleeves having started in their expanded condition in the form shown in Fig. 5 in which the walls are of uniform thickness, in their compacted condition the degree of resilience and, therefore, the degree of pressure exerted by each sleeve upon the standard varies from one end of each sleeve to the other. rThus it is this pair of elongated packing sleeves held captured in spaced relation upon the standard by means of the other cooperating elements that serves to permit of the universal adjustment of the lamp and gooseneck upon the standard with such'great facility.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 8 and 9 a desk lamp is provided with the degrees of freedom of movement which ow merely from the organization of parts which includes the horizontal tube 2l and the remaining parts disposed within it. In this organization, therefore, nc vertical or rotary movement upon a fixed standard is provided. Nevertheless, by the employment of the parts already described with reference to the tube 2l all desired adjust-ability is had in the type of lampshown in Figs. 8 and 9. In this organization, base 4E) is provided with a standard il which carries at its upper end a lamp and shade assembly 42. Interposed between the base lil and the standard :il is a bracket or mounting unit which isv organized and contains the equivalent of the tube 2l and the parts disposed within it. More' specifically, the outer tube 3, which in the present organization corresponds to the tube 2l of the rst embodiment of the invention, is Xedly mounted on the'base di?. The tube 44 is integral with the standard @l and corresponds to the lower end of the gooseneck in Fig. 1 and carries the steel resilient sleeve l5 in the same manner as already described in the nrst form of the invention. The tube fifi also has the shoulder 4t which is also provided with a pin as previously described. rIhe cap 41 engages the'free end of the tube 44. The same organization of parts is duplicated at the joint between the lamp assembly 42 and the upper end 4of the standard 4| as indicated by reference character 48.

In the organization shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the standard may be moved with reference to the base from a vertical position to any desired inclined position as indicated by the dotted lines and it is held in this position by the resilient action of the steel sleeve 45 which is held captive by the standard and moves through and exerts resilient frictional pressure against substantially the entire inner surface of tube 43. Similarly the lamp assembly 42 may be moved to any desired position with reference to the standard 4 I. These two adjustable joints provide many degrees of freedom of movement to the lamp, these being had by merely moving the standard or the lamp unit 42 to the desired position.

I claim:

1. In combination, a base, a rod-like standard xed to said base, and a support slidable and rotatable on the standard and comprising a pair of integral tubular elements, one of said elements being coaxial with said standard and having an integral diameter greater than the exterior of said standard, the internal diameter being enlarged near each end forming a pair of spaced internal annular recesses, and an annulus of resilient non-metallic packing material compressed and compacted within each of said recesses and serving to grip said standard in any adjusted position and to eliminate metal to metal Contact between the standard and said support; a carrier supported in the second tubular element, and means in engagement with the carrier and the second tubular element for holding the carrier against endwise movement and permitting rotation thereof.

2. The combination'in claim 1 in which a portion of the inner face of each recess is conical.

3. The combination in claim 1 in which the pair of tubular elements are disposed in angular relation to each other.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which the last named means comprise a resilient sleeve in engagement with the carrier and the second tubular element to hold the carrier in adjusted position.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which the carrier and the second tubular element have cooperating means limiting the rotation of the carrier to substantially a semi-circular movement.

6, In combination, a base, a tubular element supported thereon in substantially a horizontal position, a carrier having a tubular end portion disposed in said element and supported thereby, means holding said end portion against longitudinal displacement, and a resilient metal sleeve in engagement with said element and said end portion holding the carrier in adjusted position.

7. The combination of claim 6 in which the tubular end portion has a longitudinal slit which receives an anchoring flange of the sleeve.

8. The combination of claim 7 in which the carrier and tubular element have cooperating means providing limits for the movement of the carrier end portion.

9. In combination, a base, a horizontal open ended tube mounted thereon, a lamp assembly, another horizontal open ended tube mounted thereon, a vertical standard carrying at each end a horizontal portion disposed in said tubes, and a resilient sleeve in engagement with each said portion and its associated tube providing frictional engagement therebetween holding the lamp assembly in any adjusted position.

10. The combination of claim 1 in which the last named means comprise a resilient sleeve carried by said carrier having at least a portion thereof in frictional engagement with inner surface of the second tubular element to hold the carrier in adjusted position.

11. In combination, a base, a tubular element supported thereon in substantially horizontal position, a carrier having a tubular end portion disposed in said element and supported thereby, said tubular end portion having a longitudinal slit, a resilient metal sleeve disposed within said tubular end portion, said sleeve having a longitudinal ridge passing through said slit and frictionally engaging the inner face of said tubular element for holding the carrier in adjusted position.

12. In combination, a base, a rod-like standard xed to said base, and a support slidable and rotatable on the standard and comprising a pair of integral tubular elements, one of said elements being coaxial 4with the standard and having an internal diameter greater than the exterior of the standard, the internal diameter being enlarged near each end forming a pair of spaced internal annular recesses, and an annulus of resilient non-metallic packing material compacted within each recess and serving to grip the standard in any adjusted position and to eliminate metal to metal contact between the standard and the support; a tubular carrier supported in the second tubular element, and means in engagement with the carrier and the second tubular element for holding the carrier against endwise movement and permitting access to the interior of the tubular carrier.

13. In combination, a base, a tubular element, means supporting said tubular element on said base in substantially a horizontal position, a carrier having a tubular end portion disposed in said element and supported thereby, means holding said end portion against longitudinal displacement, and a resilient metal sleeve in engagement with said element and said end portion holding the carrier in adjusted position.

LEON BOLTUCI-I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this 4patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 275,396 Lloyd et al Apr. 10, 1883 659,064 Hinchman Oct. 2, 1900 947,709 Bartholomew Jan. 25, 1910 1,397,453 Rekar Nov. 15, 1921 1,625,510 Tredwell Apr. 19, 1927 2,358,054 Bryant Sept. 12, 1944 2,504,392 Carter Apr. 18, 1950 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,537,927 t January 9, 1951 LEON BOLTUCH It is hereby certied that Aerror appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 5, line 25, for the word integral read internal;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oice.

Signed and sealed this 20th day of February, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of 

